Postnoon E-Paper for February 16th 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

WRESTLING FOR A CHANCE

restlers around the world vowed to fight to save the ancient sport's Olympic status, after the International Olympic Committee voted to drop it for the 2020 Games. We give you a peek into the Indian akhada. PG 16&17

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FEBRUARY 16, 2013 HYDERABAD

ALL’S NOT ‘WELL’ FOR NIRMALA AND HER FAMILY REPORT ON PG 4 & 5

Laying the foundation for a new home should be a happy experience, but for one family in Ramkote, it turned out to herald a time of uncertainty. The ‘historical’ structure that was unearthed on their site has led to a bureaucratic mire that has left them without a permanent home and staring at a future fraught with difficulties.

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

SUMMER IS HERE

Buy Art It is an anniversary art show of affordable art by 30 artists. All artworks are priced between `1,000 to `10,000. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: January 18-February 18 11:30am-7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

Hyderabad 360 Live virtual and visual music by Puce Muse. Where: Qutb Shahi Tombs When: February 17, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4486

French Film Festival Six French films will be screened with English subtitles. The opening film is Populaire, followed by In the House (Danse la maison) and Hand in Hand (Main das la main). Where: Prasads IMAX When: February 19-21 Contact: hyderabad.afindia.org

Yudh Sai Shree Arts presents Yudh, a Bharathanatyam solo by Savitha Sastry on war. Where: Ravindra Bharathi When: February 19, 7pm to 8:15pm Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Golden Dragon Taj Krishna is hosting a Chinese New Year at special meal. Master chef Hung Fong Ng is crafting an array of traditional delicacies. Where: Golden Dragon, Taj Krishna When: Up to February 17, Lunch: 12:30pm to 2:45pm Dinner: 7:30pm t 11:45pm Contact: (040) 6629 3309

Chinese New Year Traditional Chinese dishes including dimsums, oriental barbeque and dumpling soup will be served. Where: The Square, Madhapur, Hitec City When: February 8-17 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Double the love Papa John’s offers heart shaped thin crust pizza for an entire month. It is available in all existent flavours and at no extra cost. Where: All Papa John’s outlets When: February

Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road,

CINEMAS

As the temperature rises, a GHMC employee waters the lawns at Necklace Road. Nampally When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015

The Landmark sale Landmark announces its sale of Up to 70 per cent off. Bestselling books starting at `49, 3 for 2 on the top 500 new releases are just some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: January 25-February 25

Filmmaking workshop Alliance Francaise along with Yavanika Films is conducting a film appreciation course over two weekends and a filmmaking workshop over four weekends. The workshops are for adults and will be held on weekends. When: Weekends starting from February 23, 11am onwards Contact: 94901 00404

Urban Stampede The run is aimed at encouraging amateurs and seasoned runners alike to take part in a sport that is enjoyable and beneficial. Where: CBIT, Gandipet When: March 3 Contact: urban-stampede.com

Theatre workshop The workshop will cover body-mind

integration, acting and character and text. No prior experience in theatre is required. When: weekends, starting February 16, from 12pm to 6pm Contact: 94904 40986

Solo art show Display of works by Saraswathi L. Where: Muse, Mariott Hotel & Convention Centre When: Up to March 2

Return Of Innocence

SRINIVAS SETTY

Sinha on dance. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad When: Up to February 18, 9:30am to 5:30pm Contact: (040) 2335 0040

Main Rahi Masoom Main Rahi Masoom is a play. It is a biographical sketch of the writer Dr Rahi Masoom Raza. Where: La Makaan, Banjara Hills When: February 22 Contact: 96427 31329

Sculptural paintings by Lester Paul will be on display. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 2, 11:30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

Bharatnatyam Recital

Sunday Heads Live

Samahaara workshop

Sunday Heads is a music band in the City which plays rhythm and blues and soft rock in Hindi and English. Where: La Makaan, Lane Adjacent to C-Bay Banjara Hills When: February 17, 7am onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Samahaara is organising ‘Samahaara Weekend Theatre Workshops.’ Apart from acting, it includes outdoor theatre activities, readings, analysis and discussions It is for people above 14 years of age. Where: La Makaan, Off Road no. 1, Lane Adjacent to C-Bay Banjara Hills When: Weekends, Up to February 24 Contact: 96427 31329

My Breath on Canvas A photography exhibition by Ranjit

Bharatnatyam performance by Neha Khaitan. Where: Shilparamam When: February 17, 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2310 0455

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Government extends BPS

he date has been extended till March 31, for those who applied for Building Penalization Scheme (BPS). GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu has warned penal action against unauthorised buildings. Either they would be demolished or a penalty of 25 per cent property tax will be levied till the unauthorised construction is demolished or regulated.

`1.25 cr for lakes, tanks

Spl teams to assess loss

he State government has sanctioned `1.25 crore for the improvement and protection of the 176 tanks and lakes in Greater Hyderabad area. The GHMC commissioner requested the State government to accord the sanction so that the work can be entrusted with M/s Aarvee Associates, the lowest bidder to take up the work in the City.

Leaders quit TDP, say there is no freedom Despite the strong claims by principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that the marathon walkathon (padayatra) undertaken by the party president is a grand success, the impact of it seems to be nil on party leaders.

he CM held a telephonic review meeting with chief secretary Minnie Mathew this morning following hailstorm in various parts of AP. The CM, who is in Delhi to attend a meeting, directed Mathew to send special teams to affected districts to assess the loss incurred by the farmers. Preliminary reports suggest the farmers’ losses run into crores of rupees.

The university plans to perform 100 such plays across the State to promote theatre culture and spirit.

University of Hyderabad pays homage to Sarojini Naidu Anubha Singh

anubha.k@postnoon.com

T Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he grand padayatra of the party president seems to have failed to evoke any response from within the party and stopped short of boosting the morale of the party cadres. It also utterly failed to put any check on the exodus of party leaders to the rival YSR Congress party. The political developments that took place this week are a clear proof it. Three senior party leaders, including MLA P Sai Raju (Ichapuram Assembly seat) and MLC Boddu Bhaskara Rao of the party met YSRC party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy in Chanchalguda prison and held discussions with him. Both the MLA and the MLC later publicly announced that they would move to YSR Congress very soon. These leaders did not leave any opportunity to criticise TDP. They said that they had lost the freedom to voice their concerns in the TDP and added that the frustration caused by this was forcing them to leave the party. They also made sure that they showered liberal praises on YS Jagan. According to these leaders, the welfare policies of young and dynamic leader YS Jagan attracted them towards the YSRC. The continuous blows from party leaders, especially MLAs and MLCs, have shocked the TDP leadership. However, the top leaders of the party sought to play down the impor-

HIGHLY PLACED PARTY SOURCES TOLD POSTNOON THAT THE PARTY PRESIDENT FEELS THE EXODUS OF THE PARTY LEADERS WILL IMPACT THE ONGOING PADAYATRA. tance of the continuous exodus of the cream of the party. Reacting to the issue, a senior TDP leader and party politburo member gave a rather amusing reply. He said that the exodus, instead of weakening it, would help the party. “The continuos exodus of the leaders from the party is a boon for us. It will help us greatly in identifying the loyalists within the party and

get rid of the traitors. So, we are not too worried about the exodus at this juncture,” he said. He also said that there was no link between the ongoing padayatra and the exodus of the leaders. Recognising the importance of these blows, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu held a meeting with senior party leaders in Guntur district, which is the current location of his padayatra. Highly placed sources of the party told Postnoon that the party president strongly felt that the exodus of party leaders will have an adverse effect on the ongoing padayatra. TDP members worry that this may dilute the impact of the padayatra. The party leaders are now scouting for strategies to put a check on these adverse effects amid continuous striking by the rival YSR Congress party.

he theatre festival of the University of Hyderabad (UOH) never fails to impress the audience. This time too, the three-day fest that marked the 134th birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, exceeded the expectations of the audience. The festival also marked the 25th year of the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication. The programme commenced with the audience and guests paying their homage to Sarojini Naidu at the place where her remains are kept. This was followed by Ms Meena, a play in Telugu produced by the theatre outreach unit of the University of Hyderabad. The play depicted the story of a woman, Meena, formerly known as Malli, who returns to her native village Tummalapenta after a decade, to make her final film. She is now an iconic film star, and in the intervening years, Tummalapenta has descended into a state of dire poverty. With the news of Meena's arrival, there is a new burst of energy and hope in the village and she is hailed as their saviour. Meena arrives and promises to make the villagers prosperous beyond their wildest dreams. In return, she demands a terrible price. Other plays like Do

Kodi ka khel and One for the Road (pictured above) were also staged and won accolades from the audience. “These plays were staged not only to mark the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, but also to promote the theatre culture, which is slowly dying in the State. “To promote theatre culture, the university had started touring various towns and colleges of AP. This performance was its 20th show and it is intended to complete more than 100 shows, targeting a minimum of one lakh audience,” said Dr Ramarao Peddi, coordinator of theatre outreach unit, Department of Theatre Arts, University of Hyderabad. The three-day theatre festival at Golden Threshold, University of Hyderabad, was inaugurated by Dr KV Ramanachary, cultural advisor to the government of Andhra Pradesh, and Prof Jeelani, director of Centre for Distance and Virtual Learning, University of Hyderabad.

CITY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

rahul.r@postnoon.com

he family has kept this a secret, along with other residents, in the hope of finding something valuable in the ruins. The site has been hidden under a tarpaulin sheet for two months. On February 13, a local scribe informed the Sultan Bazaar police that a mysterious ruin has attracted the locals’ attention. When the police reached the spot, they found pillars and walls of the Nizam era structure gaping at them from under the ground, 15 feet below. “The landlady, B Nirmala, told me that the digging started two months ago. They found the structure and decided to look around for gold. Ever since, the site has been under a tarpaulin cover. Because there were hundreds of visitors pouring in, we posted a picket here to keep peace,” says ACP G Someshwara Rao. The Directorate of Archaeology and Museums was informed about this discovery and a team headed by assistant director Brahmachary has been sent to investigate the site. “We discovered that this structure is actually a well built during the Nizam’s era, over a 100 years ago. Made of limestone and granite, it is 15 feet deep and the entrance faces east. To its side, there is a well over which this particular house and other buildings are currently standing. The presence of this structure is not surprising as it is one of the many structures in the Ramkote- Koti area, (it) being the centre of the then Nizam’s city,” says Brahmachary. Since the Gujarati Shah Baba dargah and another mosque are in close proximity with this site, right after this declaration was made, a team from the AP Wakf Board, headed by MA Quddoos, inspected the site and declared it to be a mosque. Chairman Ghulam Biyabani of the AP State Wakf Board said, “I was informed that a mosque-like structure was discovered. We have decided to file letters with the GHMC, Archeology department and the police department to furnish us with all formal records of the site, including survey numbers. A mosque being present adjacent to the dargah is also mentioned in the Wakf Board’s gazette. However, I will also personally inspect this structure and study the records when they are provided to us.” Meanwhile, crowds began to throng the apparent historic place of worship. When this reporter was present at the site, groups of young men were already pouring in to see the “masjid” for themselves, proving it

difficult for the police picket to keep the crowds away from the site.

NIRMALA’S FAMILY WOES AND OTHER SURROUNDING STORIES Like any issue that even remotely borders on anything communal, this too has been subjected to its share of public frenzy. Scores of young men drive into the narrow lane and talk loudly about the “masjid” here. Neighbours and other residents dispel all myths, saying that it is, in fact, not a masjid but only a well, albeit old and historic. While it is safe to predict that our City’s communal hounds will begin biting each other in a matter of time, Nirmala and her family’s poverty have been forgotten. Narrating her woes, she says, “We have no source of income to rely on. My son is disabled and cannot earn. With what little we get from petty jobs, we cannot run our family. We have been living here for 25 years and everybody in this lane and Ramkote know that there are many wells present here. Nobody gives us any assurance that we will get to build our house here.” Notices by the directorate of archeology are pasted on all the walls in the lane. The site has acquired a name and is now called “Bayatapadina Baayi,” which translates into, “The well that was found”. A local egg seller, who has been a long time resident of Ramkote, says, “When I was young, I used to play and bathe in the Nawabi baths and wells present in this area. Attached to them were enclosures where men and women could change their clothes. Now, this City has swallowed everything, including the City that once stood.” He told the same to the Sultan Bazaar ACP. Other residents have begun to realise that they are potentially standing on a thin crust, some on sand, and others on more history. The dangers of a building standing only on sand have begun creeping into the residents. Both the police and the archaeology department have warned the locals about the

ALL’S NOT ‘WELL’ FOR NIRMALA AND HER FAMILY

4&5 SRINIVAS SETTY

When a poor family digs through a small patch of land in Ramkote to replace their hovel with a better home, they find a 100-year-old Nizam era structure beneath their feet.

dangers of the ground caving in. As to the question of the structure, whether historical or not, no party, neither the archaeology directorate nor the AP Wakf Board, have anything to reassure the widow’s family with. Assistant director Brahmachary maintains that if and only if the structure is declared a heritage site will the archaeology department take care of it and

conserve it. Chairman Syed Ghulam Afzal Biyabani from the AP Wakf Board says, “We would like to remind everyone that we do not intend to harm or disturb the poor. Neither are we trying to push some propaganda forward through this. If the structure is declared as a masjid, then we will push for its care and conservation. All of this only after we receive the records of the survey numbers

from the GHMC and the archaeology department in reply to our letter.” While the eventuality of any decision being taken and an amicable solution being presented seem distant, Nirmala and her family might have to wait for long to claim their land back. This is not surprising, as the poor are usually the first ones to get torn apart by the City’s fault lines, be it communal or geographical.

NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

5 Kumbh pilgrims killed

ive pilgrims returning from the Kumbh Mela were killed and eight others injured when a jeep collided with a truck in Jalalpur area, police said today. The five people, including three women and two men, were killed when the jeep carrying them collided with the truck on the Lucknow-Varanasi National Highway late last night, SP Manjil Saini said.

UN chief urges India, Pak to stay calm

10 injured, houses torched

N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and resolve issues after a Pakistani soldier who intruded into Indian territory was killed by the Indian Army along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters here yesterday that the UN chief was aware of the latest incident in which the Pakistani soldier, after intruding into Indian territory in a fresh incident of ceasefire violation, was killed by the Indian troops.

ore than 10 people, including students, were injured and one shop, some houses and vehicles were set on fire in four villages in Puducherry following clashes between two groups of school students and villagers today, police said. There was an altercation between two groups of students. The real cause of clash was yet to be ascertained, police said.

Tripura makes history STANDING TALL World’s tallest Mahatma Gandhi statue was unveiled in Patna on Friday. PTI PHOTO

AGARTALA: India's northeastern state of Tripura made electoral history when a record 93.57 per cent votes were cast in Thursday's election to the 60-seat assembly, officials said here Saturday. "About 93.57 per cent of the 23,55,446 electorates have exercised their franchise and this was an all time high percentage of votes polled in any election in India," said Ashutosh Jindal, the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Tripura. He said: "Since the first elections in 1952 in the country, this was an all time record in the electoral history of India." Tripura recorded around 92 per cent polling

THROUGH THE

POSTAL BALLOTS, 38,561 OF THE TOTAL OF 50,000 POLLING AND SECURITY PERSONNEL CAST THEIR VOTES. in the last assembly elections in 2008. Like the previous elections in Tripura, more women voters cast the ballot than their male counterparts. "Of the total of 11,98,970 male voters, 90.89 per cent cast their votes while 93.02 per cent of the

11,56,476 female electorates have exercised their franchise in the polls," Jindal told IANS. Through the postal ballots, 38,561 of the total of 50,000 polling and security personnel cast their votes. According to the CEO, before Tripura, the previous record of high polling percentage was in Sikkim, where more than 87 per cent votes had been polled in the 2004 assembly elections. Jindal said that of the 60 assembly constituencies, maximum of 95.12 per cent and minimum of 84.26 per cent votes have been polled in Boxanagar and Banamalipur assembly segments respectively in Tripura.

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3 TMC leader India to host aides arrested trilateral dialogue KOLKATA: Three associates of TMC leader and local councillor Mohammed Iqbal were arrested this evening by a special team of CID from Raina in Burdwan district, a senior officer said. Churri Feroz and two others who are said to be close associates of Mohammed Iqbal have been arrested. Iqbal is alleged to be involved in the killing of the sub-inspector of Special Branch three days ago. He is absconding, the police said. CID has launched a massive manhunt to arrest TMC councillor Mohammed Iqbal.

WASHINGTON: New Delhi will host the second trilateral dialogue with US and Afghanistan next week, which among other things will focus on co-operation between the three countries post2014 when the US forces are scheduled to hand over control for security operations to Afghan forces. The US delegation, led by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake, would include the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Dan Feldman, the State Department said in a statement today.

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WORLD SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Pics of Chavez out

‘Oz knew about Israeli spy’

z intelligence had detailed knowledge of the case of a Melbourne man thought to have been an Israeli spy well before he died in a Tel Aviv jail in 2010, a report said Saturday. "Every day that goes by you see how deeply involved they were," a senior Israeli official told The Australian. "It is clear they were in the know long before he died."

‘Dorner shot himself’ LOS ANGELES: Alleged US cop killer Christopher Dorner died from a single gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted, a coroner said Friday. The doctor who examined the body concluded that "the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head," said San Bernardino County coroner Kevin Lacy, giving details from the results of a

six-hour autopsy. "We are not yet able to speak about the manner of death and tell you whether or not it was the result of a self-inflicted wound or another round," he told a press conference. “While we are still assembling the reports and putting it together, the implication seems to be that the wound that took Christopher Dorner's life was self-inflicted.”

CLASSIFIEDS CLOTHING

HOTEL

Pistorius denies charges

Screen grab from Venezuelas' VTV official television broadcast during a report by Venezuelan Interior Minister Ernesto Villegas, shows Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, flanked by his daughters at hospital in Havana, one of the the first images released since his hospitalization. The images are dated February 15.

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lympic star Oscar Pistorius broke down in tears in the dock today as he was charged with the Valentine's Day murder of his model girlfriend, a charge he denied "in the strongest terms". The 26-yearold South African Paralympian gold medallist sobbed as Pretoria magistrate Desmond Nair announced a single charge of killing Reeva Steenkam.

20,000-strong team for Ural clean-up President Vladimir Putin ordered the operation to help some 1,200 people who were injured, including 200 children.

MOSCOW: A 20,000-strong team has been sent to the Ural mountains as part of a rescue and clean-up operation after Friday's meteor strike, Russia's emergency, ministry says. President Vladimir Putin ordered the operation to help some 1,200 people who were injured, including 200 children, mostly by shattered glass, reported the BBC. The shockwave blew out windows and rocked buildings around Chelyabinsk. A fireball streaked through the clear morning sky, followed by loud bangs. A large meteorite landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in Chelyabinsk region, and Friday morning's dramatic passage was witnessed hundreds of kilometres away. Mr Putin said he thanked God that no big fragments of the 10tonne meteor — which was thought to be made of iron and travelling at some 30 km (19 miles) per second — had fallen in populated areas. It had entered the Earth's atmosphere and broke apart 30-50 km (20-30 miles) above ground, according to Russia's Academy of Sciences, releasing several kilotonnes of energy — the equivalent of a small atomic weapon. The Emergencies Ministry urged calm, saying background

A handout photo taken on February 15, 2013, and provided by Chelyabinsk region police department shows people standing near a six-metre (20-foot) hole in the ice of a frozen lake, reportedly the site of a meteor fall, outside the town of Chebakul in the Chelyabinsk region. radiation levels were normal after what it described as a "meteorite shower in the form of fireballs". "The explosion was so strong that some windows in our building and in the buildings that are across the road and in the city in general, the windows broke," Chelyabinsk resident Polina Zolotarevskaya told BBC News. The Chelyabinsk region, about 1,500km east of Moscow, is home to many factories, a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre. Many children were at lessons when the meteor fell at around 09.20 (03.20 GMT). Video posted online showed frightened, screaming youngsters

at one Chelyabinsk school, where corridors were littered with broken glass. Chelyabinsk resident Sergei Serskov told BBC News the city had felt like a "war zone" for 20 to 30 minutes. "I was in the office when suddenly I saw a really bright flash in the window in front of me," he said. Footage shows an icy lake near Chebarkul, where police say part of the meteor landed "Then I smelt fumes. I looked out the window and saw a huge line of smoke, like you get from a plane but many times bigger." "A few minutes later the window suddenly came open and there was a huge explosion, followed by lots of little explosions."

‘Sophisticated’ attack hit FB

Syria rebels take airbase in Sfeira

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook said Friday its computer system was "targeted in a sophisticated attack" last month, but that it found no evidence any user data was compromised. The company said in a blog post that malware came from an infected website of a mobile developer and that "we remediated all infected machines, informed law enforcement, and began a significant investigation that continues to this day." The attackers used a previously unseen exploit taking advantage of a flaw in Java software made by Oracle, which was alerted to the situation and released a patch the first of February, according to Facebook.

DAMASCUS: Syrian rebels captured a military airbase in the north on Friday and geared up for a major battle against loyalists as the opposition said it refuses to accept President Bashar al-Assad in talks on the 23-month conflict. The rebels, from the Islamist Al-Nusra Front and the Muhajireen battalion, overran the base in Sfeira, east of Aleppo international airport, and captured a large stockpile of ammunition, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based watchdog also reported intermittent clashes around the Aleppo airport itself as well as around Nayrab airbase and another military complex, as the two sides squared up for a major fight.

COMMENT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

EDITORIAL BLADERUNNER: Wait for the truth As the Bladerunner stands accused of shooting to death his girlfriend, once again questions are being raised about the right and wrong of making idols of sportspeople. Well, till the day the news broke, Pistorious epitomised everything that made the human spirit: courage, faith, confidence and a never-say-die attitude. It’s amazing because even when normal people take minor blows to the heart and give up, the South African’s was a wonderful story, a story that peaked at the right moment and found the right pitch when he got the nod to compete in the London Games. There were murmurs of dislike for him when another man like him beat him in London and not many were impressed with the way he whined about it. But still, Pistorius remained a hero and walked away like one. And one morning we hear the man is accused of shooting his girlfriend. That’s a great fall. As the news develops about the bladerunner’s past and idiosyncrasies (he sleeps with a pistol by his pillow and has a machinegun by his window sill), we, who admired him should not jump to conclusions, because if we do, we also fall with him. Because, none of us are perfect and we do not know yet what happened on that fateful night. And about sports people being unfit for children to draw inspiration from, we need to see everyone for what they are. If we vilify Tiger Woods for his promiscuity, there is something essentially wrong with us, too, because in the first place, we started taking notice of Tiger Woods for his golfing capabilities and not for the number of women he slept with. We admire ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson for being one of the greatest boxers. We need not judge him for being a wife-beater or for having a dangerous past. The only exception is Lance Amrstrong, becasue he is an impenitent cheater who still does not believe he did something wrong and understand the gravity of his mistakes. He still wants to compete despite his whole career and records being a gigantic sham. So before we rush to conclusions about the Bladerunner, let’s wait for the truth to emerge; let’s not throw stones at him yet and let’s not strip him of his rightful record as a great sportsman.

The power of moving on Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

ews of Pope Benedict XVI resigning has elicited a mixed response from around the globe. Some groups used this opportunity to bring to light the child sex scandals that rocked the religious structure. Other groups have praised the Pope’s decision born of his ability to recognize his limitations and take such a difficult stand. The Pope is, after all, a man and not a superhuman who can afford to pump strength into his being against the will of nature. The Pope’s resignation has also been hailed as a modern decision, especially since he became the first Pope in six centuries to voluntarily give up office. Not everyone can work for as long, or as hard, as they want to. It takes a combination of luck, health and circumstances to make this happen. I’ve known people who work till their very last day – not out of necessity but because they know no other way to live. A Tamilian neighbor, N Sitaraman, from many years ago is one such inspiring example. He retired 20 years ago but hasn’t stopped working. He took up many consultant and voluntary work assignments. These keep him busy all the time. His

NOT EVERYONE CAN WORK FOR AS LONG, OR AS HARD, AS THEY WANT TO. IT TAKES A

COMBINATION OF LUCK, HEALTH AND CIRCUMSTANCES TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. I’VE KNOWN PEOPLE WHO WORK TILL THEIR VERY LAST DAY – NOT OUT OF NECESSITY BUT BECAUSE THEY KNOW NO OTHER WAY TO LIVE. infectious enthusiasm, his curiosity to learn new things and gain new experiences aid him in his continued quest for good quality work. He has even started his own companies and sold them off to find something more challenging. He’s not easily intimidated by new technology, as many others his age (he’s well into his mid-80s now) are. He learns how to operate a new gadget – a cellphone or tablet – with the same enthusiasm of learning how to cook a new dish. His child-like curiosity and his eagerness to discover, explore, learn and grow, have all made him a storehouse of knowledge and experience, technical or otherwise. His wife has been his biggest support through all his crazy experiments. So has his health. He has been able to con-

trol his health largely through a strict vegetarian diet and also a good exercise regimen. Despite that, his age could slow him down but it hasn’t. His health has stayed with him through his plans and intentions for big ideas and work. Unlike Mr Sitaraman, there are many others who aren’t as lucky with their health. Like Mr Sitaraman, they may have many plans for their retired lives and old age, but their bodies just don’t keep up. There’s only that much one can push nature. It takes a lot for a person in a top post to give it all up. It’s also very frustrating. The Pope’s spirituality is being tested at this time. His decision to give up office has perhaps been his response to a growing inner conflict of performing his duties versus giving in to his health concerns. The latter has won. But the bigger winner is the positive decision of Pope Benedict XVI, which makes way for a new Pope and new hope for followers of the Catholic faith. There’s a huge

sign in this for seniors who hold on to their posts when younger able bodies are waiting in line. Indian politicians should perhaps take a cue from this and gracefully step aside to make way for a younger leadership. They could focus on voluntary social service. Amen to that!

COMMENT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Time for a time-out Quirky-side-Up ARPITA BHAWAL

VISWAPRASAD RAJU

Urban sketches

Heritage

nexpectedly, I spent Valentine’s Day in bed, recovering from an allegedly bad prescription by a famous orthopedic surgeon in the city. It appears that I was diagnosed for something that I might not have had. So after three torturous days in Apollo Hospital, I was glad to be home. My first thought was: Women always seem to have it harder. But really, I wonder, is it really that hard all the time or is it just so that you’d like me to believe it is since I always have to fight 10 times more for what I should be graciously granted? Anyway, I didn’t miss the roses or hearts or candies for my V-Day celebration. I was mesmerised by the demonstrations of the One Billion Rising group in India. I am quite proud to say, by the look of the movement that no matter what happens eventually to the six rapists of December 2012 women in India are still really free. A good sign too, because it is getting kind of tiring for women to fight men, women to fight politics, women to fight other women, women to fight corporate honchos, and

women to fight for their space in the virtual world even! In other words, I think women like us, whether in the pink of health or not, are done with the constant fighting — even fighting to prove that we deserve to be happy. In fact, every woman I know or hear of today is deeply frustrated, not happy at all, because the pressure to be happy is weighing her down! It is true that no amount of off season sales seems to lift the feminine spirit. Gym, yoga, meditation, walks — nothing is helping. Even re-runs of Friends or Sex and the City

WOMEN EVERYWHERE ARE TIRED AND DISSATISFIED BECAUSE THEY LIVE A LIFE OF CONSTANT VIGIL, AND ENDLESS FIGHTING AGAINST THE LARGER-THAN-LIFE OPPRESSION. aren’t helping. What is this weird state of dissatisfaction that women all over the world are increasingly finding themselves in these days? More importantly, why? Well, women have possibly evolved too fast for their own good — so fast that at times I think they might just grow a stubble, or male genitalia. We have studied, worked, married,

divorced and renounced this world with such great speed that men in their heads are still planted somewhere in the Middle Ages. This is probably because we think too much, say too much, do too much and then, analyze too much compared with men. As if this was not enough, we also went ahead and tried to achieve the impossible with greater speed — which is, lead lives that go beyond tradition, rules, society and, our own fears and doubts. Terrifyingly, this new game is just about getting started but we think we have already mastered it. The ‘old’ equality game — which was until now played by men — has flipped on its head. Now, women like Eve Ensler who wrote about vaginas way back in the 1990’s are back in vogue; they are no longer the ‘new voice’, or shocking. They are the new Piped Pipers of Hamelin, leading us to believe that we are actually capable of making our own game of equalities. It could be something far more dangerous because it would be creating a seam-less, level-less, and gender-less society which by virtue of its conscious effort to protect and accord equal status to women, could abolish and destroy the natural order of things forever. But, wouldn’t it be marvelous if none of us would have to try so hard to be invincible

like men while actually being petrified women? Wouldn’t it be a relief not to have to shout slogans for fear that someone will forcibly marry us off on Valentine’s Day in the park if we are found strolling with a man? So yes, women everywhere are tired and dissatisfied because they live a life of constant vigil, and endless fighting against the

larger-than-life oppression. It is such a pathetic cliché, but I think most women would just like to wash their hair, paint their nails and curl into bed with a good book instead of participating endlessly in the feminine revolutions of the world. One Billion Rising or not, women really need time out. To breathe.

Global edits The Independent (UK)

JUST AS IT CAN BE ARGUED

Unthinkable? Let the rich go forth

THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOO LITTLE MONEY TO LIVE IN LONDON, IT CAN ALSO BE REASONABLY ADVANCED THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOO MUCH. INSTEAD OF DECANTING POORER PEOPLE INTO THE PROVINCES, PERHAPS SOME OF LONDON'S RICHER FOLK COULD BE MOVED

hould London councils expand their new policy of decanting poorer people into the provinces into a thing of grander scope and sweep by distributing some of the capital's richer folk around the country in the same manner? This need not be done in a coercive or undignified way. They could travel to their new homes in, say, Corby, Oldham, or the Gorbals, in specially fitted Pullman carriages and would be allowed to take – this is merely a suggestion – as many as 12 pieces of matched luggage with them. Just as it can be argued that some people have too little money to live in London, it can also be reasonably advanced that some people have too much. In fact, although this may seem harsh, rich people in London are almost in danger of losing the cachet that comes with rarity. That would not be the case in Corby, although it should be stressed that the Guardian is not singling out Corby, or indeed anywhere else, as particularly deprived.

Still, it cannot be denied that a few billionaires down the pub in some of these places would have a desirable effect on the local economy, while the nearby shopping mall would certainly have to raise its game, and the garage on the corner would have to send for some Porsche and Bentley manuals. With luck the new citizens would soon be competing to get the library back on its feet, or vying to burnish their charitable credentials by rescuing the amateur dramatic society from the financial doldrums. Who knows what heights of moral renewal might be scaled in this way?

BUSINESS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013 AFP PHOTO /KNIGHTS OF MALTA/KLAUS SCHNIEBEL

New Vatican bank chief

‘Myanmar has potential’

World Bank official said Friday that Myanmar has “enormous potential” as it undergoes reforms, which have led the Washington-based lender to launch a drive to bring electricity to millions. World Bank East Asia vice president Axel van Trotsenburg, who visited the bank’s office in Yangon, said he was “very, very encouraged”.

he Vatican on Friday named a German financier as head of its scandal-hit bank to help overhaul the secretive institution. Ernst von Freyberg replaces Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, who was sacked last year. Vatican watchers say Tedeschi’s ousting could have been linked to his drive to make the Institute for Religious Works cooperate with an Italian money laundering investigation.

RBS share give-away

ritain’s finance ministry insisted Saturday it would dispose of its majority stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland “at the appropriate moment” amid reports ministers were considering a share giveaway. RBS could be ready to return to the private sector later this year, but at present prices that would represent a huge loss to British taxpayers.

Creating space for children A father of two followed his passion of building a ‘child space’ to launch a website that offers everything from children-related services to guidance. Fact file PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

re you a parent who wants to share your experience and seek guidance from other parents in your community? An online marketplace, mycity4kids.com, helps you do just this and also lists the best services for your child in your area. With more than a million parents visiting the website in the last year and the site bagging 30,000 service providers across six cities, mycity4kids.com has become a guide for parents to choose various children-related services. Founded by Vishal Gupta, Prashant Sinha and Asif Mohamed in 2010, the website has not only seen success in terms of traffic, but also in the revenue growth. Talking about the business inception, Vishal says, “I completed my post-graduation from IIM-Bangalore and worked for around 13 years with Asian Paints, HUL and Aviva across sales and marketing. Having conceptualised the ‘Education is

THE 45-EMPLOYEE COMPANY IS CURRENTLY AIMING TO MAKE ITS PRESENCE FELT IN THE TOP 16 CITIES OF INDIA AND ONE INTERNATIONAL CITY BY THE END OF THE 2014 FINANCIAL YEAR. Insurance’ brand idea and being a father of two young kids, I discovered an area I feel passionately for — the child space — while I was working at Aviva. Excited at the prospect of chasing my dream, I traded in my director-marketing assignment to plunge into entrepreneurship with mycity4kids.” The business idea gained real momentum when Prashanth and Asif, who share a similar passion complimented with skills, came into the picture. The trio pooled in `50 lakh from their personal savings to set up the business. Looking at the success and the potential of the site, YourNest Angel Fund pumped in investment into mycity4kids.com in 2012. But as we all know start-ups are rife with challenges, and this journey was no different. “It was difficult to convince businesses to get listed in the nascent stage. Building customer traction and convincing businesses (clients) that we are here to stay was not easy. The other chal-

Started: October 2010 Revenue growth: 300 per cent in FY12 Aiming for 1,100 per cent growth for FY13 (compared to FY11) Offering services in: Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai Targeting: 10 more cities in 2013 lenge was to stay afloat and overcome financial constraints with a vision to build a futuristic company,” says Vishal. What has helped the business thrive is the realisation among young parents today that there is more to their children than merely academic success. “There is a trend now towards holistic learning which has fuelled demand for services like hobby classes, enhanced learning and others. There is a realisation among parents across India that academic excellence is not the ultimate yardstick for success in life,” adds Vishal. The $3.3 billion (`15,000 crore) children services market includes after-school activities (hobbies, sports, tuition), day care and playschools, recreation and entertainment (birthday providers, camps, fun places to go), health and wellness and where to shop. The trio’s marketing expenditure helps them reach their focused target group. On the consumer front, greater disposable incomes and increased spending by parents on their wards also drives the business. Although access to content is free on the website, mycity4kids.com makes significant revenues from listing services for children. Vishal explains that at the B2B level, the basic listing is currently free but there are a set of offers ranging from kick starting children’s business presence on the internet to response management. The site also offers payment and local promotion solutions, for which businesses pay anything between `25,000 to `1 lakh a year. The 45-employee company is currently aiming to make its presence felt in the top 16 cities of India and one international city by the end of the 2014 financial year. On the personal front, Vishal likes to unwind by playing tennis and enjoys spending quality time with his children. He also likes watching sports and reading sports autobiographies and philosophical books. Vishal looks for inspiration from people who are living life on their terms and are not just following the herd. More specifically, he continues to be inspired by Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

WORLD SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK www.brotips.com his site is delightfully profound and cheeky, all at once. Bro Tips is dedicated to providing modern advice to men who want to improve themselves. You'll also laugh out loud at several of these insightful tidbits!

There are plenty of rumours floating around the Internet about Microsoft’s next generation Xbox and here are some of the most likely and unlikely ones.

BEYOND 360

MOBILE GAME REVIEW

APP OF THE WEEK

BEBBLED

Great Goals.com

xcellent footie video site turns into excellent footie video app, with all the Premier League goals up for viewing straight after the games.

Bebbled is your standard gem-shuffling thing, only presented in a professional style you wouldn't be surprised to see running on something featuring a Nintendo badge with an asking price of £19.99.

STILL SPECULATION OPERATING SYSTEM

NT BALANARAYAN

Balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

WHAT WE SPECS

KNOW FOR SURE :

The new Xbox will be faster and will run games at full-HD resolutions that scaling it up to that level as current-generation consoles do. It’ll run on 8-core AMD processor much like PS4 and will have a GPU based on a ATI 7xxx series card. These cards are used in mid-range PCs now, but since consoles are custom-built for gaming, all that power can be used exclusively for that purpose

KINECT 2.0

Kinect is definitely set to get an upgrade and will be able to identify and track more points in your body. This will translate to more accurate representation of your movement in-game and also added gestures. According to gaming blog Kotaku, it will be identify your thumb and your hand separately, which means you can give a thumbs up to like posts when using Facebook app, to give an example. Apart from becoming better in quality, it’ll also be bundled with all Xbox sold and there may not be a model that does not come without the motion tracking device.

HARD

DISK

When Xbox 360 launched the base model had 20Gb hard disk space and there was a core model that shipped with none. This time around Microsoft won’t be stingy with storage space as the base model will have at least 500GB for you to save your media and games. The company already offers a cloud save by which you can store the progress you have made in a game online. The higher-end models may ship with up to 1TB, but it’s not clear yet if the storage can be upgraded later on.

MULTI-TASKING

Have you tried watching a YouTube video after pausing a game in Xbox 360? It pretty much sucks as the whole game needs to be closed to open a simple app. That won’t be the case with the next Xbox as the device is being built with multi-tasking in mind. You can not only shuttle between a game and multiple apps, but also shuffle between two games. To put it in other words, you can take a break from playing Halo, watch a

THE NEXT-GEN XBOX COMES PACKED WITH A LOT OF FEATURES, BUT BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY MAY NOT BE ONE OF THOSE. CHANCES ARE THAT MICROSOFT WILL CONTINUE TO SELL XBOX 360 AT LOWER PRICES FOR A FEW MORE YEARS, MUCH LIKE SONY DID. Machinima clip, finish a challenge race in NFS and get back to Halo!

B ACKWARD

COMPATIBILITY

The next-generation Xbox comes packed with a lot of features, but backward compatibility may not be one of those. Chances are that Microsoft will continue to sell Xbox 360 at lower prices for a few more years, much like Sony did with PS2 after PS3’s launch. So your massive Xbox 360 game collection won’t be able to smooth talk its way into the new console, unless the developer ports the game.

The original Xbox ran on a derivative of Windows 2000 and they upgraded this OS when they released Xbox 360. A lot of people think that the new console will run on a version of Windows 8 as it beings serious performance upgrades compared to the Windows 2000 model. This is still a rumour though and no source has been able to confirm this bit.

RE-SALE

LOCK

There are talks of games for next Xbox being tied to a Live profile, which means that you won’t be able to resell your games. This would be similar to the system followed by game download services such as Valve’s Steam and EA’s Origin. It has never been done before in console and Microsoft might face user backlash if they go ahead with this, unless they let gamers redownload those games from Microsoft’s games store.

PRICING

The sale price of the next Xbox is still a big question mark. Sony paid a heavy price for overpricing PS3 at launch and they won’t be making that mistake again. That being the case it needs to be seen how Microsoft will be able to match PS4’s price especially when they are planning to bundle Kinect with their next-gen console. The golden price would be $300 and if the console costs more than that, which it will most probably, they’ll need to really justify it to the customers.

MOTORING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Ford promotes Elena Ford

ord Motor Co. said it will promote Elena Ford to a newly created senior executive position, the first time in nearly two decades that a Ford family member has been elevated to the company's senior ranks. Elena Ford, great-great-granddaughter of company founder Henry Ford, will lead a new group charged with improving global dealer standards for the company.

Trax Gurkha launched

BMW X1 launched in India

orce Motors launched the Trax Gurkha. The Trax Gurkha will be powered by the MercedesBenz sourced 2399cc OM616 diesel engine which sees duty in various other Force products as well, it is good for 75bhp and 19.88kgm of torque. The engine will come mated to a fivespeed manual gearbox, and the car will be a four-wheel-drive.

MW India has launched the facelifted X1 at a starting price of `27.9 lakh, ex-Delhi showroom price. Available in three trim levels and only in diesel, the new X1 will take on the likes of the Audi Q3 and upcoming Volvo V40 Cross Country. Customers also have the option to choose the panoramic sunroof.

Colour for your ride

What started off as passion ended up taking a very significant place in Saikat and Mrutunjaya's lives. Putting their creativity to the test, the duo came up with EIMOR customs which prides itself in offering customised artwork for bikes and helmets. KANCHAN AGARWAL

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

ikes and art — common passions that brought Saikat Basu and Mrutyunjaya Dash together to make the better of their interest and talent, giving birth to EIMOR Customs. Expanding into East India Motorcycle Revolution, EIMOR Customs offers customised and conceptualised artwork on bikes and helmets and other mechanical modifications, too. The two of them besides being ardent bike lovers have a strong background in fine arts having spent many childhood years in painting classes, and have also learnt the many facets of bike repairing and modifying in a mechanic shop by arrangement. Although they would love to be called bike artists, having procured those degrees in computer technology, it was only practical to end up in a nine-to-five job in the IT sector. But the best hours of their day are spent on painting and modifying bikes. Standing true to the proverb of necessity being the mother of all invention, EIMOR Customs is the result of their search for someone to provide similar services. Failing to find anyone, they took the tools in their hand and set about making over their beloved bikes. It was to their surprise when they realised that all that time in mechanic shops and painting schools could actually be put to some good use. It was time to take this to the next level. The first step was to find a place. And of course, they requested a fellow mechanic shop owner to share the space and the rent, too. They now work from Gachibowli. It takes about two weeks for theme-based paintings. The idea is conceptualised, colour is scraped off the bike and elaborate art work is produced. You can either give them the required part dismantled or leave your bike with them, too. While for bikes it can cost you anywhere between `18,000-30,000,

designs on helmets range from `3,5005,000. Although Hyderabad boasts of bike loyalists, the concept being new, people took their time in trusting them. But for the duo, the thought of halting never occurred and thankfully so. Starting with one to two bikes and helmets, they took their first step and approached their friends and acquaintances. “We had to build a portfolio. We asked our friends to let us work on their bikes for free. This was our dream. It started as a hobby but we wanted to pursue this further,” says Saikat. There was a time when for nearly six months, they had no order but there was no stopping them whatsoever. “We purchased helmets and

painted them. We even sold a few. People started trusting us,” he recalls. Now the word has spread alright. A Harley owner found their work interesting. He got his Harley painted to take part in the India Bike Week that recently took place in Goa and rode back having won the first prize in Custom Harley category. “We never thought we would come this far." But a good distance they have come. It has been five years since they moved to Hyderabad. It may have sprouted from a mere fascination but now there are big plans and bigger dreams. “We want to do this full-time. Now there are so many orders that there might come a day when we might as well resign from our day jobs,” they say.

BOOKS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

SHORT READS Title: Team of Rivals Author: Doris Goodwin Publisher: Simon & Schuster Team of Rivals doesn't just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis. The author profiles five of the key players in her book.

Title: Fool Author: Frederick Dillen Publisher: AmazonEncore A well-educated investments player Barnaby’s life changes almost overnight when he’s found to have acted slimily. His wife deserts him, his daughters disown him, and he loses his home. At 46 disgraced and broke and lonely, Barnaby must repair his life to find redemption.

Title: Hyperion Author: Dan Simmons Publisher: Spectra On Hyperion, beyond the law of the hegemony of man, there waits the creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, the Shrike waits for them all.

Title: Cat Trick Author: Sophie Kelly Publisher: Signet Kathleen Paulson enjoys her life as a small-town librarian with two extraordinary cats, Owen and Hercules, who provide companionship during the quiet times and have a remarkable talent for sleuthing when murder disturbs the peace...

A WINTER'S TALE

Maeve Binchy’s last novel is told with all the warmth that made her Ireland’s most beloved author. Padmini C

insightful, her conversational prose and effortless characterisation a delight to read. Except perhaps for the fact that it lacks cohesiveness, reading more like a series of short stories (that don’t ever quite form a harmonious whole) than a novel, there’s little fault to be found with A Week in Winter.

padmini.c@postnoon.com

n July last year, while Maeve Binchy was still in consultations with editors on the final draft of her book, Ireland’s best-loved and most recognisable author died of ill health at the age of 72. The book, A Week in Winter, published posthumously, is the last in a career that included 16 novels, four short-story collections, a play and a novella. Binchy, who has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and had her books translated into 37 languages, doesn’t disappoint even in the end. A Week in Winter, true to her signature style, is set in a small fictional village, Stoneybridge, in the west coast of Ireland and revolves around the inhabitants of the newly opened hotel, Stone House. The story begins with Geraldine ‘Chicky’, a resident of Stoneybridge who leaves her quaint little village to follow her lover, Water, to New York. The youthful affair ends but Chicky stays on, creating a fictional marriage, and later, widowhood, for the benefit of her religious family and small-town neighbours so as to avoid scandal. Years later, a woman of means, Chicky the prodigal daughter returns home and

accepts the offer to buy the grand old manor on the cliff, Stone House, from Miss Queenie Sheedy and convert it into a hotel. Slowly, a host of eclectic characters start to trickle in. Henry and Nicola are a couple

who carry a secret that could be their undoing; a need to escape and a missed flight leads an American actor John to the inn; Winnie and her boyfriend’s frightful mother are on an enforced holiday while Freda is

a hairdresser/librarian with self-proclaimed psychic abilities; each character stranger than the next who find through the unlikeliest experiences, a way to self-acceptance. Binchy is warm, funny and

Name A Week in Winter Author Maeve Binchy Pages 464 Publisher Orion

Deception, politics and full of panache NT Balanarayan balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

ost of the books based on or about gaming tend to be very narrow in their outlook, as they don’t do much than add a few details not included in the game. Oliver Bowden’s Assassin's Creed: Forsaken however stands out, as it deals with the life of a smaller character in the series and does a good job of it. In the book, Bowden takes you through the life of Haythem Kenway, the father of the protagonist in Assassin’s Creed III, the hit game from Ubisoft. Most of the books on the series have stuck to the storyline

Forsaken is the best book in this series to date and here’s why. presented in the game. The book takes the reader through Kenway’s whole life, starting with the assassination of his father, his mysterious mentor and his introduction to the shady battle between Assassins and Templars. It is only towards the end of the book that the storyline of the book is presented. This back story also helps us understand how the war between the two factions spread from the traditional powerhouses in Europe to the New World. Bowden follows a very simple narrative style, but manages to keep the readers engaged through out. The way he goes

about describing the politics and conflicts between the two groups through the book also makes it great for someone who is new to the franchise. In gamer lingo this book would be considered “n00b friendly”, only in this case it’s a good thing. Some of the successful books and comics around games like those on Halo for example, leave users guessing most of the time. They need to spend hours reading through related material on sites like Wikia to get a grasp of the events described. Forsaken makes no such mistakes, instead it sets a good example of how game-based

books need to be written. Overall this book is a mustread if you haven’t tried the games yet. Even if you don’t plan to play them this book is a very interesting read as it mixes fiction and history in a beautiful fashion — not many books do a good job of that. The only knock against it would be that it’s a one time read.

Name Assassin's Creed: Forsaken Author Oliver Bowden Pages 479 Publisher Penguin

BOOKS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

A life more spectacular than the rainbow

In the age of pulp fiction and self-help books, this life story comes as a refreshing whiff of fresh air. Just breeze through it to feel the cool of a life lived colourfully and in turn, help yourself take out the stress from the steamy touch of daily living. SYED SHOAIB

shoaib.s@postnoon.com

ne of Hyderabad’s well-known personalities Bashiruddin Babukhan’s book Living under the Rainbow –My Enchanted Life, is the autobiography of a man well rooted in human values, despite the high life led through a myriad of rich experiences in different parts of the world and in the company of high-society people like politicians and film stars. Known for his intellectual honesty, Babukhan has opened the window for us to get a glimpse into his life lived and recorded with a clarity that can even be converted into celluloid. For an industrialist-cum-politician, who resigned from the then Chandrababu Naidu ministry as the only minorities’ representative putting the secular credential of the Telugu Desam party under cloud, charitable work comes easy. In the rich (literally and figuratively) life narrated, of particular interest to me was the second chapter on ‘Bangalore and Beyond’. The keen observation of the Jesuits who run the St Joseph’s European High School – “Despite being deeply devout Christians, where the laity routinely wore the cilice, never once did they even suggest that I and other non-Catholic students convert.” — calls for kudos. It still holds good today, like the overt comparisons between Hyderabad and Bangalore over

Name Living under the Rainbow – My Enchanted Life Author Bashiruddin Babukhan Pages 288 Released by Dr S Jaipal Reddy

weather and schooling. The author is a Muslim who, through his varied achievements, has made a difference to the negative world view of his counterparts. In the chapter on ‘Empowerment through Education and Philanthropy’, he notes: “I often wonder why even educated Muslims adhere to Shariat only in matters concerning marriage, divorce and inheritance?” This observation comes

THE AUTHOR IS A MUSLIM WHO, THROUGH HIS VARIED ACHIEVEMENTS, HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THE NEGATIVE WORLD VIEW OF HIS COUNTERPARTS.

from a man who is constantly thinking of ways to uplift the majority poor and uneducated section of the followers of Islam. The last lesson on ‘Chinese Checkers and Western Checkups’, teaches one how even the rich can handle physical illness with grace and grandeur. In places like Beijing and Chicago, the legend managed to study up the commercial and media aspects of the place along with

time-consuming inhalations and other medical procedures. It is with academic precision that he absorbs cultures of different countries. This is incredible for a man who is on the wrong side of 70 and going strong. As a doyen of the regal clan, the glossy pages of the book, well-produced colour and black and white pictures, cover page with pleasant rainbow colours, simple language and precise life record smacks of polish and erudition. Like the final chapter proclaims, Babukhan has left behind a legacy through this record of his life journey. This book stands as tall as the big commercial complexes built by him in the City. Way to go Sir!

WHAT’S SELLING Landmark’s best in fiction

Walden’s best in non-fiction

New York Times’ best in fiction

New York Times’ best in non-fiction

n Immortals of Meluha by Amish

n Durbar by Tavleen Singh

n Until the end of time by Danielle Steel

n My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor n Francona by Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy

n Secret of the Nagas by Amish

n Land of the Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal

n Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

n Love Stories that touched my heart by Ravinder Singh

n India Grows At Night by Gurcharan Das

n A memory of light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

n The Secret Wishlist by Preeti Shenoy

n Return of a King by William Dalrymple

n The Racketeer by John Grisham

n Our Moon Has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita

n Private Berlin by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan n Tenth of December, by George Saunders

n Hitmaker by Tommy Mottola with Cal Fussman n Remembering Whitney by Cissy Houston n Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

WOMEN SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Blue thong society: is a social and philanthropic women’s organisation, with over 300 chapters. The members support local charitable causes. Their moto is “Fun, Fabulous and Philanthropic!”

WowOwow.com — A group of very well-established and savvy women started this news/trends/ opinions site for women. You’ll find yourself checking it out throughout the day.

VibrantNation is a terrific site geared to women over 50. It includes blogs, product reviews, and a whole lot more. One of the coolest new sites for women, it has a voice that is hip, modern and fun.

What’s in a name?

Soon you will be watching the Mrs Carter Show. It’s how singer Beyoncé Giselle Knowles has announced her 2013 world tour. Will there be more Beyoncés or are they still exceptions to the rule?

FLEME VARKEY

fleme.v@postnoon.com

o who’s Carter? Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z’s legal name is Shawn KnowlesCarter and Beyoncé wishes to go by the name KnowlesCarter. It comes as no surprise. Beyoncé is among that growing percentage of women in the US who believe in changing their last names to take on their husbands’. It’s apparently American tradition that women change their names after marriage. Well, in India the scene is no different either. Surname decisions are now a free choice, but statistics suggest that most couples still take the traditional road. For most women who get married, taking on the husband’s name comes naturally to them, that’s what most romantics would argue. While feminists on the other hand feel that changing a woman’s name after marriage or taking on their husband’s name is an attempt to take control of a woman’s identity. When it was time to get married Neetika’s worry was not regarding the days ahead or the proceedings, she was worried about her naming ceremony. Most will think that she has a perfectly good name so why change? According to the custom in Neetika's family, they choose a name which is compatible with her husband's. Her name was changed to Riddhima. Her friends were aghast at this custom but she meekly accepted, saying she was OK with it. However, it has not been changed officially, which seems quite a strange practice.

Twenty-five-year-old Tessy Joseph had decided quite early on that she would not change her name. "It's what I grew up with and it's what I want to die with. True, I will be married someday and other than my relationship status nothing should change. Whether I take his surname or not, I still remain his wife don't I? And if it's the matter of kids then we can take the middle way, he/she will get both our names." Tessy makes it sound that easy, but in actuality it is not. In the name of tradition and custom, many Indian women have silently given into this practice, saying this was the norm, going against it would mean they are either rebellious or forwardthinking and get them in trouble with their in-laws in the future. Anisha Mahajan, who is going to be married within a month, has no qualms in accepting her husband's name. In fact, she finds it very romantic. "I would love to be called Mrs Sinha, it gives me a sense of belonging and sharing. I don't think it's regressive in any way." The practice of women keeping their last names was first introduced in the US by suffragette Lucy Stone in the 1850s, adopted by members of the Lucy Stone League in the 1920s and popularised during the Women's Rights Movement of the early 1970s, peaked in the 1990s at 23 per cent. By the 2000s, only 18 per cent of women were keeping their names, according to a 2009 study published in the journal Social Behaviour and Personality. Now, according to the US-based wedding website TheKnot, it's at just eight per cent. In 2011, March, TheKnot.com surveyed nearly 19,000 women who got married. Of those women, 86 per cent took their husband's name. The decision of changing one’s name is largely an emotional one, not to mention the paperwork that comes with it. Some say it’s their husband’s request which they are honouring but ultimately the choice rests with the woman. Does taking on a new name change your whole identity, make you stronger or weaker in any way? This is for the woman to decide.

Drive ‘em crazy All About Eve

NIDHI BHUSHAN

atching men shake their heads in disgust while women are busy parking their cars is easily an everyday sighting. Be it an office, a restaurant, mall parking or even the supermarket, women drivers are stared at as if they are some sort of experiment gone terribly wrong. Security guards, who are usually ‘too busy’ to do anything at all, love giving women drivers instructions while parking, traffic policemen randomly stop women drivers to check for car papers, restaurant valets give that sympathetic look to male passengers in the female-driven vehicle and men on the road don’t spare any opportunity to annoy, irritate and harass a female driver. What is it that makes men believe they are superior to women when it comes to driving? It’s hard to say. While there are a few studies that show men are better at parking than women, there are several studies to prove that women are safer drivers. So, why do we believe that men are better? How do such sexist stereotypes penetrate our otherwise reasonably sensible belief system? For everything else — maintaining a house, working and even raising a child — women are trusted. Isn't it ironic that a man who trusts a woman with his child is someone who cannot stand her driving his car? Women have proved they are as good and at times, better than men. Be it sports, banking, hospitality, politics or medicine, women are on par with men. They are fierce when need be, sensitive when times are tough and yes, they can easily drive through a peak-hour traffic jam. Social scientists and traffic safety experts say that male drivers around the world get into more than their share of bad car crashes, and that the male propensity for aggression and risk taking, fuelled by testosterone, is to blame. According to experts, men are more likely to drink and take drugs while driving as they believe they own the road when they are behind the wheel. So, the next time you mock a woman driver, remember you’re not perfect either.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013 S BALAKRISHNA

The high life

Mobs and moves

S BALAKRISHNA

Shoppers got a pleasant surprise on Friday evening when a bunch of youngsters performed at City Centre mall in Banjara Hills. The gathering was the biggest flash mob in Hyderabad till date.

A wine and cheese event held at Park Hyatt on Friday drew gourmands from across the City. The event was held in collaboration with the TEA Association.

SRINIVAS SETTY

Recycle in style

Students of NIFT, Madhapur, unleashed their creativity at Spectrum 2013. The young fashionistas used waste material and recycled items to show their vision of women empowerment.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

I AM ALL EARS

am 28. I have been in a relationship for the past two years. My problem is my boyfriend’s best friend. He’s really annoying me. I feel he is the one sometimes instigating my boyfriend against me and often he makes fun of me when he hangs around with us. What do I do?

Dear jealous kid, What you are suffering from is ego and jealousy. Ego, because this best friend of your boyfriend manages to get under your skin and show you as not-so perfect in front of him. Jealousy, because you think your boyfriend enjoys his company more than yours. Stop whining kid. You are 28, see the difference. Your reasons for disliking him are superficial and useless, so trying to get your boyfriend dump his BFF will get you nowhere.

esearch shows that married people have better mental and physical health than their unmarried peers and are less likely to develop chronic conditions than their widowed or divorced counterparts. A University of Missouri expert says that people who have happy marriages are more likely to rate their health as better as they age; aging adults whose physical health is declining could especially benefit from improving their marriages.

HAPPILY SINGLE

Contrary to popular perception, all who choose to be single are neither commitment-phobic nor permanent members of the lonely hearts club. They simply opt to have a no-frills life. PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

arlier in the week, while couples everywhere were scrambling to plan the perfect date, get the perfect gift and generally have a great Valentine's Day, another section of people sat on the sidelines and derived amusement from their plight. Gone are the days when people bemoaned the lack of a valentine, now they are choosing instead to rejoice in their freedom. In fact, it seems to signal a growing trend among youngsters

who are opting to stay single and away from commitment, and happily at that. The reasons for this decision are varied. Some say it's a choice they made after coming out of a bad relationship while for others, it's simply the unwillingness to invest the time, effort and emotions involved in making a commitment work. Nikhil Chandra, a city-based engineering student says that being single was a concious choice that he made. “I am very happy this way. Being in a relationship comes with a lot of complications, and right now I am quite content leading a simple life. I am very happy for my friends who are in relationships but I wish they would remember all the love and affection not just on Valentine’s Day but everyday.”

BEING SINGLE MEANT TAUNTS FRIENDS AND FAMILY ALIKE. BUT IT SEEMS THAT TIME HAS PASSED AND NOW IT'S SOLELY THE PERSONAL PREFERENCE OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. At one point, it seemed that a relationship was a direct reflection of one's desirability. Peer pressure was another factor that lead many into entering commitments without thinking it through. Being single meant taunts friends and family alike. But it seems that time has passed and now it's solely the

personal preference of the person involved. Ipsita Sen, an MBA student, seconds the idea. “Seeing people around me in a relationship has never made me feel sad about being single. I have seen disastrous relationships, people who got into one only by looking at others and ended up badly. Right now my priority is in making a career for myself, being in a relationship can wait.” But the freedom to be by oneself and your own boss is the best upside to the whole thing, say youngsters. “People think it's a sad thing that I'm single. I laugh at them instead. I can go out with whomever I want, when I want, and do what I want. There's no accompanying guilt or pressure that comes with

being with someone. I still remember how stressful it was to be around my boyfriend's circle, I had to be the perfect girlfriend which meant constant entertaining, sharing heir interests, making the effort to look good all the time. Being single means that I only have to please myself and what's better than that,” asks Ramya Rao, a financial consultant with a Bangalore-based MNC, who's been single for the past two years. If love and commitment are the buzzwords that rules the world of couples, it's fun and freewill that makes the singles tick. While both sides warrant enough merit, it’s safe to say that at the end of the day, it's to each his own.

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Rudrama Devi set to begin from April

nushka is all set to play the titular role in Gunasekhar’s upcoming film Rudrama Devi which is said to be India’s first 3D historical film. Rana is playing the role of a Chaulkyan prince Veerabhadrudu, who according to the story marries Rudrama Devi. The film was officially launched on February 14 in the 1,000 Pillar temple in Warangal. The opening shot was canned on the presiding deity in the temple and Gunasekhar, Anushka and Rana were present for the occasion. Speaking about the film, Gunasekhar said, “The 1,000 pillar temple has stood as a symbol of the Kakatiya dynasty which existed in the 14th century with Warangal as their capital. That’s one of the reasons why we decided to can the first shot on the Lord Shiva who is the deity in the temple. More than 1,50,000 weddings are being held on February 14 across the state and we couldn’t have begun our film on a better occasion than this. We are all quite pleased with the pre-production so far and making Rudrama Devi has been my dream for a long time.” Anushka revealed that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play Rudrama Devi and also added that she has begun to learn horseriding and sword fighting for the film. Thota Tharani is building lavish sets for the film and it’ll go on floors in April. Ilayaraja is scoring the music.

Romance will be another trendsetter: Maruthi

A A love story with a twist

or the past few days, the posters of an upcoming Telugu film titled Telugu Basha Lo Naaku Nacchani Padam Prema have been creating quite a stir. The gruesome visual of a girl being stamped by a man offering her a rose has raised both curiosity as well as shock from the onlookers. Of late, there has been a lot of hue and cry about the portrayal of women in films and this poster in particular has come as a surprise for many. Nevertheless, the director of the film, Raghava says, “The film is going to explore a new dimension. It’s not a regular romantic film and I am sure it’ll strike a chord with the audience.” P Vasu’s son Shakti is making his debut and it also stars Poorna and Sirivennela Sitaramasastry’s son Shankar, who had earlier acted in Keka. The film’s Telugu version was recently launched in Hyderabad. The film has also been shot in Tamil and it has been titled as Padam Pesum. Mani Sharma is scoring the music.

fter the success of Ee Rojullo, all the key members of the crew have regrouped for another romantic comedy titled Romance. Swamy, who had earlier written dialogues for films like Darling and Rebel, is making his debut as a director. Prince, Dimple Chopda and Manasa are playing the lead roles. So far, nearly 70 per cent of the film has been completed. The first look and teaser were launched recently on the eve of Valentine’s Day. Talking about the film, director Swamy said, “The film is based on the theme that everyone needs romance in their lives, but it’s good if it

happens with only one person. I would like to thank my entire team for their support.” Maruthi, the director of Ee Rojullo and Bus Stop, said, “We struggled a lot to make Ee Rojullo due to budget constraints and later on the film went on to become a big hit. The film’s success has inspired several people in the film fraternity and currently there are as many as 63 low bud-

get films under production. It’s been a great experience watching Swamy in action. I have no doubt that Romance will be another trendsetter in its genre.” SKN and G Srinivas are producing the film. Sai Karthik has scored the music and J Prabhakar Reddy is the cinematographer.

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Murder 3 falls flat

The Bhatt camp’s latest outing Murder 3 puts up an unimpressive show.

hatt camp's latest offering Murder 3 unlike its last two films from the same franchise is unimpressive. No one had expected first of the series with lesser known actors like Emraan Hashmi, Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel to do well in the box office. Yet it did and the film went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. The success of Murder was followed by the second in the series Murder 2 which again starred Emraan Hashmi and another relative new comer Jacqueline Fernandez.

Mama's boy' will make perfect husband: Survey

ollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, who shares an endearing relationship with his mother Neetu Kapoor, makes the most ideal husband, according to a recent survey. As many as 72 percent Indian women, surveyed by online matrimony site shaadi.com, chose Ranbir as the "ideal husband" due to his closeness with his mother. The poll was taken by over 24,000 Indians, and as many as 63.84 percent respondents believed that Ranbir's former girlfriend Deepika Padukone was the best match for the actor. Katrina Kaif received 22.30 percent votes, and Priyanka Chopra got 13.86 percent votes. Also, 62 percent women agreed that 'Mama's boys' would indeed make great nurturing and patient husbands. "There was a time when people thought Mama's Boys wouldn't make good husbands, but the trend seems to have changed now as per the poll. The poll indicates that when a woman has brought up her son well and he is kind to her, he makes better relationships," Gourav Rakshit, chief operating officer, Shaadi.com, said in a statement. "For women, marrying a Mama's Boy, as it is often referred to, may lead to a patient and understanding husband," he added. IANS

Movie: Murder 3 Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Lohen Directed by: Vishesh Bhatt However, Murder 3 which has Randeep Hooda who plays the role of a wildlife photographer and Aditi Rao Hyadari in the lead roles fails to impress the audiences. Despite a gripping plot, that’s legally borrowed from Colombian movie The Hidden Face, the lack of cinematic clarity and any impactful performances, makes Murder 3 a clumsy thriller. The debuting director Vishesh Bhatt tries to offer you the same thrill and chills as the two prequels delivered by the franchise. But like the earlier two flicks, Murder 3 doesn’t offer you the same entertainment.

Same old boring recipe J

ayanta Bhai is a small thug/gangster of Mumbai who carries out Vasooli and other works for Don. However, for some reasons, Don gets imprisoned. Vasooli life gets an unexpected turn when Simran (who he calls Bhadotri) enters his life. Simran at first does not like him but slowly starts generating feeling for him and they fall in love. Everything is going well for them until the Don

returns from jail. Vivek has once again donned the role of a bhai in Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story. But he has overdone it this time. The typical lan-

Movie: Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story Cast: Vivek Oberoi and Neha Directed by: Vinnil Markan

guages and use of words of bhais of Mumbai by Vivek sometime gets irritating. Neha is cute and sexy at the same time, but she needs acting lessons. The film lacks luster, grandeur and wit of romantic comedies — enough to be a blemish. While crime romance films are quite interesting if well fabricated, the story itself is flawed in this case.

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

LIVING ON THE EDGE

Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild is a remarkable film about a young girl and her father whose world begins to crumble when a storm threatens to destroy their closely knit community. It’s a highly imaginative tale that takes us to a world which we do not completely understand.

HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

athtub, the southern Louisiana bayou community where a five-year-old girl Hushpuppy and her father Wink live, is an unbearably tough place to live in and in many ways it resembles a shithole. The endless swamp, harsh conditions and the general lack of modernity in the community are striking and it wouldn’t be wrong to point out the abject poverty in which the inhabitants live either. Yet, not a single member of Bathtub complains about their lives or plans to move to the city. It is one place in the world that they call as their home and they find happiness in isolation. Perhaps, that’s the most striking part of Benh Zeitlin’s breakthrough indie hit Beasts of the Southern Wild. The overdose of poverty on screen is too much to handle, but Benh Zeitlin manages to keep us glued by narrating the story through the eyes of Hushpuppy, played a very spirited and talented Quvenzhané Wallis. For years, the residents of

Bathtub have been living in isolation. They feel no need to connect with the modern world and they believe that they have everything they need to survive in Bathtub. Hushpuppy learns about pre-historic creatures named Aurochs which are trapped in ice caps and she starts believing that one fine day they might come to life. She lives with her father Wink, a short-tempered person, who teaches her to be brave and never depend on others for survival. Their lives are on the verge of extinction when a storm hits Bathtub and in a desperate attempt to protect everything they own, Hushpuppy and Wink, along with few other residents, plan to blow up a leeve. Much to their dismay, authorities storm into their land and take them forcefully to a medical camp. The sight of countless people suffering makes Hushpuppy and her friends dizzy and they yearn to go back to Bathtub. It’s almost as if Benh Zeitlin is trying to make a statement through his film that communities don’t need outside intervention to reform their lives and that the most important thing some people care about are their own lives and homes. The film attains a quaint tone of magical realism and folklore to explain the surreal setting of this tale. The film’s

biggest surprise is Wallis, whose performance as Hushpuppy is both endearing and frighteningly good in the film. Dwight Henry, who plays Wink, is another good find and the way everything, right from acting to art direction, fit into this tale is stunning. Ben Richardson’s cinematography is another interesting aspect of the film as he captures the landscapes of Bathtub and not to forget the screenplay itself written by Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin. There are several things which one can decipher from the film and what Benh Zeitlin truly wanted to convey is anybody’s guess. However, there’s no doubt that Beasts of the Southern Wild is a tale about how one young girl copes up with the loss in her life and the community which despite all the trouble hold on to each other.

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

SUDOKU

A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.

Play & Win

voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play Kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally number 11.

Play & Win

Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 In ___ (harmonious) 5 Accumulate, as a fortune 10 ‘... for children of all ___!’ 14 ‘In ___ of flowers’ 15 Count of jazz 16 Tug-of-war item 17 Milky gem 18 Tatum or Shaquille 19 Golf tournament 20 Infielder’s warmup exercise 22 Backyard structure 23 Give two thumbs up 24 Canadian Indian 26 Customary ways 29 Aleutian island 31 St roads, often 34 Borders on 35 Eco-friendly 36 Bikini top 37 Backtalk 38 Safe’s partner 39 Plane section 40 The highest degree 41 Jennifer of ‘Flashdance’ 42 United rival 43 ___ Aviv 44 Vex 45 Like Twinkies 46 Work hard for 48 Woodsy aerosol scent 49 Way around London 51 Homer

57 Mickey’s teammate 58 ‘File not found,’ eg 59 White, brown or basmati 60 Entre ___ 61 Alternative to purchase 62 Shakespeare’s river 63 Makes do ( with ‘out’) 64 Bob and Elizabeth 65 Return to health

DOWN 1 Supper for swine 2 ‘Oh, my

goodness!’ 3 Twice-monthly tide 4 Guilty ones 5 Stops prematurely, as a rocket launch 6 Mutt’s malady 7 Participating in the America’s Cup 8 Thailand, once 9 Picked 10 Prepared to hear ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ 11 It’s hit out of the park 12 Fencer’s weapon 13 ‘You ___ Me’ (Sam Cooke)

21 Digs in 25 ‘Walk, don’t ___!’ 26 ‘He ___ got a chance’ 27 Ease off

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

KAKURO

How to play kakuro

– Dwight D Eisenhower

28 Baseball minors 29 As ___ (generally) 30 Billfold fillers 32 Hackneyed 33 Waldorf or Caesar 35 World Cup cry 38 Sitcom about Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer 39 Electronic message of old 41 Shivery sound 42 Merrill of ‘BUtterfield 8’ 45 Threads, to a Brit 47 Out of order 48 Ordinary writing 49 Actress Daly 50 Corner piece in chess 52 Cookie favorite 53 Russian river or mountains 54 Collapse under pressure 55 Supply and demand subj 56 Rip apart

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Three of Pentacles

Knight of Cups

King of Cups

Ace of Cups

Six of Cups

The Star

ork – Your memory plays a crucial role in how a certain job turns out. You will have to rely heavily on what you remember for a project to take off. Romance – You are likely to bump into an old flame. Old memories are stirred, and you want to be left alone with your thoughts. Health – A recurring health problem, like a migraine or a sore throat, is back to slow you down. Take rest and drink lots of healthy fluids. Money – Smart investments you made at the beginning of your career or your first job may need reviewing. They may no longer be serving your purpose. Tarot message – You need to stay stable in the ebb and flow of life. Don’t get perturbed by events or people.

ork –There’s much learning to do on the job. New processes and systems, or different expectations from your boss unnerve you. Romance – You may suspect your spouse of having an affair. Don’t let the suspicion get to you. You’re likely to find out it was nothing after all. Health – You may need a personal trainer to help you understand the nuances of your exercise regimen. Hire an instructor. Money – Finances are looking in good shape. You’ve accounted for everything while budgeting for the month. Wait to see your money grow. Tarot message – Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you’re doing something the first time round. You’d be surprised at the help you get.

ork – Find solutions to work related problems more intuitively rather than going by the book. You’d be surprised at how well they’ll work. Romance – You achieve a deeper, stronger connection with your partner. Singles are likely to meet someone at a workshop or class. Health –Pamper yourself. A body massage and a day at the spa may do what no shrink or doctor can do for you. Money – Lottery wins and surprise inflow of money will make you happy. High returns from an investment will take you by surprise. Tarot message – You develop a deep understanding of the connection between how you perceive life and what ultimately happens to you.

ork – You want creative satisfaction from your work, and have been working toward that goal for a long time. Selfemployment is your ultimate goal. Romance – You’re in a flirtatious mood. You live in the moment and go by your gut feel. Don’t expect great understanding from a potential partner. Health – You need to unwind. May be a good idea to get a massage or simply take a day off to sit and read by yourself. You need me-time. Money – Money flow is good, and this is what is keeping you on your toes at your office. Tighten your purse strings some more. Tarot message – You are emotional and trying hard to get in touch with your inner feelings. Keep at it, and you will know yourself better.

ork – You’re swamped with work but are able to manage mostly because of your ability to multitask. Ask seniors for help if you need it. Romance – Singles will likely meet someone interesting, at a book store or an art show. You hit it off but refrain from committing. Health – You’re in good shape though you’re not doing much to maintain yourself. Start the gym routine or simply a one-hour walk everyday. Money – Stop worrying because you’ve got everything in control. Some additional income through a freelance job pumps up your bank balance. Tarot message – You go with the flow and everything clicks right. Don’t question and you discover a beautiful synchronicity.

ork – If you have been unhappy in a current team, expect new windows of opportunity to come up. A new opening will work its magic. Romance – A new romance wings its way into your life and you feel the freshness of innocent love. Enjoy the time. Health – You benefit from alternative therapies like eating right, massages, meditation, etc. You find that magical mind-body connection and are able to utilise it well. Money – Don’t close your mind to a potentially profitable financial venture. Just because it is new or you don’t know of it doesn’t mean it’s not good. Tarot message – You reverberate with new energy. You are linked to a higher plane and make a deeper connection at the soul level.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra

Scorpio

Eight of Pentacles

Ace of Wands

ork – You’ve been chosen for a coveted assignment at the office, one that requires you to be creative and think differently. Romance – A new relationship enters your life or you find a fresh spark in an existing relationship. Go with the flow. Health – You may consider starting a new health regimen, veering towards the alternative therapies. It works well for you. Money – A new job opportunity presents itself giving you the options to choose from. It may even be a freelance opportunity through which to increase your finances. Tarot message – You probably perceive the world around you differently, which is making you accept situations more readily than before.

ork – Your boss trusts you with a new job and although you have little experience in it, you do extremely well. Romance – It’s the small things that matter in a relationship. Bring your partner flowers, cook for them or woo them again if it improves your chemistry. Health – You’re feeling slightly off balance given the demands of every other area of life. You haven’t been paying attention to your health. Money – Your loan is approved or you are able to arrange the finances you needed to start a dream project. Now, there’s no looking back. Tarot message – Live in the moment and enjoy what you do. Your choices will not feel like a burden.

Sagittarius Three of Wands

ork –Team work is important. It will help you see your job in new light. Lend a patient ear to your coworkers and consider their ideas, too. Romance – Put your best foot forward at a party. You’re likely to meet someone interesting. The attraction is immediate. Health – You feel energetic. Your blood pressure is in control and your diet also is showing the expected results. Money – You start making profits from a creative venture, which you didn’t expect will be so successful. Your investments have been wise. Tarot message – Dream. Plan. Then make it happen. You’ve been on a lucky phase where things click and everything goes right.

Capricorn

Date 17-2-2013

Aquarius

King of Swords

Eight of Wands

ork – You may need to blow your trumpet about the amount of work you do. In the age of Facebook, an introvert may lose out at times. Romance – You meet someone interesting at a museum or book shop and spend time together. All doubts about it not working out will be cleared. Health – Your body’s in great shape but you may need to work on keeping your mind healthy, too. Take up meditation or any de-stressing activity. Money – Finances are looking good and your forethought and planning have paid off. A windfall is also expected. Tarot message – Going by the happiness in your life and how everything’s going right, you turn from a skeptic to a believer.

ork – Your sharp intellect helps you solve a work problem. You also avoid being pushed to the corner by competitors. Romance – Love, to you, is all about being practical and making a comfortable life. No harm in indulging in flowers and chocolates sometimes. Health – You need to pay attention to your health. Working too hard and not relaxing enough is taking a toll. Take a weekend break. Money – You go by the book and stick to the rules. Think creatively to make the most of the money you’re making. Tarot message – By placing too much emphasis only on the mind, you’re ignoring the heart’s desire. You need to strike that balance, and do it well.

Pisces Five of Swords

ork – Don’t get into a confrontation with any of your coworkers or clients with regard to an important project. Romance – You may have to iron out some differences or misunderstandings. Communicate clearly and all will be well. Health – Take extra care of your health. Do not overindulge in food and drink. Everything in moderation is good for you. Money – There may be some confusion over some money which you think is due to you. Go over the details again before you pick a fight. Tarot message – Being in the middle of a confusing conflict situation may be unavoidable. Keep a low profile and continue to work.

Vol: 2, No 211 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

IN THE NEWS

8. Who is the Formula One World Drivers' Champion for the year 2009? 9. Who won the CFDA 2012 award for Womenswear Designer of the Year ? 10. What was Coco Chanel's first name? 11. Mount Rushmore is located in which country?

12. Which is India's highest military decoration? 13. In which year was the first Asian games held? 14. What was the name of the master plan of Pakistan to infiltrate Jammu and Kashmir which resulted in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War?

Answers

service Twitter? 5. Which day is celebrated as International Women's Day ? 6. Freedom in Exile is the autobiography of which famous personality? 7. What is the name of the national park, located in Jammu and Kashmir?

1. China and India 2. Italy 3. 1992 4. Jack Dorsey 5. March 8 6. Dalai Lama 7. Hemis National Park 8. Jenson Button 9. Mary Kate And Ashley Olsen 10. Gabrielle 11. USA 12. Param Vir Chakra 13. 1951 14. Operation Gibraltar

1. How many countries on earth have a population of over one billion? 2. The world famous tourist attraction "Ponte Vecchio" is located in which country ? 3. In which year was the first SMS sent ? 4. Who is the founder of the popular social networking

TEST YOURSELF

IDENTIFY THESE SPORTS WOMEN

CURRENT AFFAIRS 1

Which asteroid is expected to pass near Earth on Friday? It is half the size of a football field and will pass nearer to Earth than any other known object of its size.

2 3 4 5 6

How much do you know about the Grammys ?

Which singer has been nominated the most for Grammys but never won a single award?

Which two companies joined forces and unveiled a $11 billion merger deal creating the world's biggest airline with 6,700 flights a day?

2 3

When was the first Grammys awards held? Which accounting firm takes care of tabulation of ballots cast by the academy members?

Which actress' Chanel ad is being banned from airing during children's programmes in the UK? Which company gave away free iPad Mini to every one of its 3,500 employees?

Which artiste has the highest number of Grammys to his credit?

Apple lost rights to the iPhone trademark in which country? 4

People from all walks of life came together on Valentine's Day to pledge their commitment to put an end to violence against women. What is the name of this global campaign?

Who is the oldest artiste to receive a Grammy?

Who is the only artiste to receive “Big Four” (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist) awards in a single ceremony?

1. Asteroid 2012 DA14 2. AMR Corp AAMRQ.PK and US Airways Group (LCC.N) 3. Keira Knightley 4. LinkedIn 5. Brazil 6. One billion rising

Answers Which sportsperson recently brought out a video in order to spread awareness about the sport of Luge?

with Santosh Ghule Figure out the living beings you see here; give us the count too.

Answer for 53:

PICTURE PUZZLE 54

WHO AM I? I am from South Africa and famous in the world athletics. I am a double amputee. I was recently in the news for shooting my girlfriend at my home.

Fairies and bats.

Who became the first and only Indian to enter the top eight of a major event on the professional snooker circuit when he qualified for the quarter finals of the Welsh Open tournament?

Answer : Oscar Pistorius

Answers: 1. Allison Stokke 2. Victoria Azarenka 3. Danica Patrick 4. Michelle Wie

Which Indian software services provider acquired a majority stake in Brazil's Complex IT?

Answers:

1. Brian Mcknight 2. 4th May 1959. It was held to keep rock ‘n’ roll at bay. 3. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu 4. Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. They won 13 Grammys each. 5. Pinetop Perkins at 97. 6. Christopher Cross

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

1. Mahindra Satyam 2. Pankaj Advani 3. Shiva Keshavan K P

Answers

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Donald learns from Jordan

Yao to judge dunk contest

Anand held by Meier again

LOS ANGELES: NBA legend Michael

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Yao Ming will

BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY: World

return to the city of some of his greatest basketball triumphs when he serves as a judge for the 2013 All-Star Game's slam dunk event in Houston on Saturday. Yao joins four other Houston Rockets' legends, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon and Rudy Tomjanovich, to judge the competition.

champion Viswanathan Anand was held to a draw by Georg Meier of Germany for the second time in the Grenke Chess classic now underway here. Desperately seeking victory with the white pieces, Anand yet again came close but could not continue the momentum to let his advantage slip.

Jordan, in the spotlight approaching his 50th birthday on Sunday, has given top golfer Luke Donald some insight into a champion's mind-set. Donald, the former world number one who is playing this week at the US PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club, said he first met Jordan through golf in Chicago.

Striking for Godolphin Barb Bangalore-based trained SS Attaollahi-trained Striking, winner of race No 152, can repeat the feat to win the VI F Godolphin Barb Million (Grade III), the main attraction of Sunday afternoon races at the racecourse in Malakpet in the City.

1st Race: The Armagnac Plate (Div-I) (about) 1200 metres, Cat-III. A handicap for horses 5-year-old and upward, rated up to 50. 1-45pm 1 Phenomenal Speed 62 (S’suddin) Nitin Singh 6 2 Gigori 60 (PrasadR) N Rawal 5 3 Cascading Glory 59.5 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 4 4 Bang on Target 58 (Kassam) Kiran Naidu 7 5 Kathakali 57 (A Sharma) NS Parmar 8 6 A Horizontal Urge 55 (Silvester) J Vikas 3 7 Cypress Way 52 (Vatsalya) P Sai Kumar 2 8 Pussy Galore 50.5 (H’ibulla) Ajit Kumar 1 Selections: 1 Grigori 2 Phenomenal Speed 3 A Horizontal Urge 2nd Race: The Chaitanya ChakramPlate (about) 1200 metres, Cat-II. For Miaden horses 3-year-old only. 2-15pm 1 Advisor 55 (Satheesh) K Anil 5 2 Any Given Time 55 (Hassan) AM Tograllu 10 3 Flaymboyant Star 55 (Satheesh) Deep Shanker 4 4 Globetrotter 55 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 6 5 Havok 55 (Sequeria) P Trevor 3 6 Supreme Secret 55 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 8 7 Winning Shot 55 (Netto) A ImranKhan 1 8 Concours 53.5 (D’Silva) S Nayak 9 9 Roma Rouge 53.5 (A Sharma) C Henrique 7 10 Royal Opportunity 53.5 (S Abbas) N Rawal 2 Selections: 1 Havok 2 Winning Shot 3 Globetrotter 3rd Race: The Rayalaseema Cup (about) 1100 metres, Cat-III. A haqndicvap for horses 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 50. 2-45pm 1 Golden Jewel 61 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 5 2 Star Experience 58.5 (Kassam) S Nayak 7 3 Ceremonious 57.5 (Netto) A Imran Khan 4 4 Yours Truly 56.5 (H’ibulla) AK Pawar 1 5 Dakshayani 56 (A Sharma) C Henrique 9 6 Camacho Speed 54 (Prasad R) P Sai Kumar 6 7 Grenada 54 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 2 8 Arizona Colt 53.5 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 3 9 Sprint Saloni 53 (Netto) Harinder Singh 8

Selections: 1 Ceremonious 2 Camacho Speed 3 Golden Jewel

8 Green Bay 50.5 (D’Silva) NS Parmar Selections: 1 Specialist 2 Green Bay 3 Precisely That

4th Race: The Artillery Cup (Div-I) (about) 1800 metres, Cat-II. A handicap for horses 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 75. 3-15pm 1 El Paso 62 (D’Silva) S Nayak 5 2 San Ramon 61.5 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 1 3 Flying Spur 58.5 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 6 4 Ponte Verdi 57.5 (D’Silva) A K Pawar 4 5 Okai Okai Okai 53 (NRao) P Trevor 3 6 Combined Force 52.5 (Srinivas R) AM Tograllu 7 7 Moment of Roses 51.5 (Silvester) C Henrique 8 8 Asta La Vista Babe 50.5 (Sequeria) P Sai Kumar 2 Selections: 1 Asta La Vista babe 2 San Ramon 3 Combined Force

7th Race; The V I F Stud Godolphin Barb Milion(Grade III) (about) 1400 metres. Temrs for Indian horse 3-year-old only (foaled in 2010) 4-45pm 1 Striking 55.5 (Attaollahi) P Trevor 2 Coral Springs 54 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 3 Beau Ideal 52.5 (D’Silva) Kuldeep Singh 4 Lucy Diamond 52.5 (KV Srinivas) G Sai Vamshi 5 Musical Note 52.5 (Deshmukh) AM Tograllu 6 Shimmering Ice 52.5 (Satheesh) Withdrawn 7 Man of Vision 50 (Dhariwal) C Henrique 8 Dancing In The Rain 48.5 (S Abbas) DK Ashish 9 Ice Barrier 48.5 (Satheesh) withdrawn Selections: 1 Striking 2 Musical Note 3 Man of Vision

5th Race: The R.C.T.C.Cup (about) 1600 metres, Cat-I. Sweepstakes. A handicap for horses 4-year-old and upward. 3-45pm 1 Golden Queen 60 (LaxmanS) Harinder Singh 4 2 Mystical Knight 60 (Deshmukh) AM Tograllu 3 3 Golden Palace 59.5 (D’silva) Kuldeep Singh 6 4 Blazing Asian 56 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 1 5 Drayton 55 (Netto) P Sai Kumar 7 6 Jabel Queen 51.5 (Srinivas R) P Trevor 5 7 Nano Storm 51 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 2 Selections: 1 MysticalKnight 2 Jabel Queen 3 Golden Queen

8th Race: The Red Rufus Plate (about) 1600 metres, Cat-III. A handicap for horses 5-year-old and upward, rated up to 50. 5-20pm 1 Brianna 61 (A Sharma) C Henrique 10 2 Kansas City Mac 61 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 9 3 Thirteen Black 61 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 7 4 Lioness Heart 60.5 (Netto) Harinder Singh 6 5 Ace Star 58 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 4 6 Smrithiman 57 (A Sharma) Kuldeep Singh 1 7 Midnight Beauty 56.5 (Prasad R) N Rawal 3 8 The Challenge 56.5 (Hassan) AM Tograllu 8 9 All The Fun 52.5 (Satheesh) B Dileep 2 10 Royal Bird 49 (Fayaz) A K Pawar 5 Selections: 1 Midnight Beauty 2 All The Fun 3 Lioness Heart

6th Race: The Artillery Cup (div-II) (about) 1800 metres, CatII. A handicap for horses 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 75. 4-15pm 1 Westminister 62 (Vatsalya) NRawal 6 2 Strategic Command 59 (Deshmukh) Haridner Singh 1 3 Precisely That 58 (Srinivas R) AM Tograllu 7 4 Laurel Canyon 54 (D’Silva) AK Pawar 5 5 Specialist 52.5 (Deshmukh) P Trevor 4 6 Handsome Hunk 52 (Satheesh) Deep Shanker 8 7 Any Given Time 51 (Hassan) Ajit Kumar 3

Staying the Best, Dusty Lady impress HYDERABAD: Staying the Best, Dusty Lady, Kohinoor Revanta, Power Drive and Sweet Child O Mine pleased when horses were exercised this (Saturday) morning at the racecourse in Malakpet in the City.

Sand track 800 metres Alexander Square (Imran Khan) 59, 600/44 moved freely. Field Smasher (Sai Vamshi) InspiringTunes (rb) 57, 600/43 Former finished a length in front. Staying The Best (N Rawal) Commanding Heights (Sai Kumar) 55, 600/40 They finished together. Emerald Reef (K Alam) 58, 600/44 Moved well. Vijays Winner (Tograllu) 56.5, 600/43.5 Moved well.

Elora (app) 58, 600/42 Pushed. Shmmering Ice (Dileep) 1-0, 600/45 Easy. Dusty Lady (rb) 55, 600/41.5 Pleased. Amazing Weapon (Nitin Singh) Nano Dame (rb) 1-0, 600/44 They moved freely. Over Shadow (Imran Khan) 1-3, 600/48 Easy. Home Town Hero (N.Rawal) Dandelion (Sai Kumar) 57.5, 600/43 They finished together. Ciel Blu (Kiran Naidu) 1-1.5, 600/47 Easy. Play The Music (app) Machine Gun (Tograllu) 57, 600/42.5 They moved together.

Alam) 1-12, 800/55, 600/40 Pleased.

Sand track 1000 metres

Fortunate (app) 2-2.5, 1400/1-46.5, 1200/1-32, 1000/115, 800/1-0, 600/46 Moved freely.

Kohinoor Revanta (rb) 1-11, 800/55.5, 600/41 Pleased. Sweet Child O Mine (K

Sand Track 1200 Metres: Power Drive (Imran Khan) Dauntless (rb) 1-25.5, 1000/1-10, 800/55, 600/41.5 Former easily finished 3 lengths in front. Surya Lakshmi (rb) 1-27.5, 1000/1-11.5, 800/56, 600/42 Moved well. Secret Angel (Harinder Singh) Lumier Blanche (Deep Shanker) 1-32, 1000/1-16, 800/1-0, 600/44 They moved together.

Sand Track 1600 Metres:

2 5 6 1 7 3 4 -

Days Best: Striking Jackpot Race Nos: 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 1st Treble Race Nos: 1, 2 and 3 2nd Treble Race Nos: 3, 4 and 5 3rd Treble Race Nos: 6, 7 and 8 Tanala pool will operate where there are five or more starters. False rails up.

Chess tourney from Feb 20 postnoon news

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HYDERABAD: The National Team Chess championship is set to kick start at the Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy indoor stadium, here, from February 20. The meet is being organised by the Andhra Pradesh Chess Association in association with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and on behalf of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).The event is expected to witness participation of players from across the country. The seven-day tournament will have not less than nineteen Grandmasters participating, including the likes of Dronavalli Harika (Airports Authority of India), Tania Sachdev (Air-

India), Abhijeet Gupta (PSCB), RR Laxman (Railways) and Swathi Ghate (LIC). A total prize money of Rs2,00,000 will be distributed among the winners. The event will also conduct an inter-school chess tournament on February 20 and 21 at the same venue. The tournament will implement the zero minute (zero tolerance) rule.

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Benneteau stuns Fedex Frenchman Julien Benneteau sent defending champion Roger Federer crashing out on Friday with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 quarter-final upset.

Scott Williams

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Frenchman Julien Benneteau sent defending champion Roger Federer crashing out of the Rotterdam World Tennis tournament on Friday with a stunning 63, 7-5 quarter-final upset. Federer, who lifted the trophy in his last two appearances in 2005 and 2012, last suffered defeat in the event against Tim Henman in 2004. “I’m very disappointed, I have some regrets about this match,” said Federer, who came back from two sets to love down to beat Benneteau in the third round of Wimbledon last year. “He played great and created more chances than I did. He deserved to win. It was a tough loss, but they do happen. Being broken so many times (five) indoors won’t get the job done. My game was up and down overall. He made it difficult and generated pressure. That made you try to serve harder. When I had some

Bae, Jacobson share lead at Riviera Rebecca Bryan

LOS ANGELES: South Korea’s Sang-moon Bae birdied nine holes en route to a six-under 65 on Friday that left him tied with Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobson in the second round of the Northern Trust Open. Bae, got off to a blazing start at sunsplashed Riviera Country Club, opening with four straight birdies from the 10th as he positioned himself for a run at a first PGA Tour title. Bae’s nine-under par total of 133 stood up as the lead for much of the day, but Jacobson briefly overtook him with his seventh birdie of the day at the 13th before dropping back with his only bogey of the day at 15 and also finishing with a 65 for 133. They were one stroke in front of Americans John Merrick and John Rollins. Merrick carded a 66 and Rollins posted a 65 highlighted by an eagle at the 11th for eight-under 134. World number three Luke Donald carded a 66 for 135, one stroke better than former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (67), reigning US Open champion Webb Simpson (66) and England’s Lee Westwood (68). Bae took a conservative approach at the classic par-71 Riviera course in the Pacific Palisades west of downtown Los Angeles. “Keep it on the fairway and hit the greens,” he said of a strategy that rewarded him with birdies at half of his AFP holes.

Roger Federer leaves the court after losing to Julien Benneteau during their ATP World Tennis Tournament’s quarters match in Rotterdam on Friday. AFP/ANP KOEN SUYK

chances I didn’t take them. I was maybe a point or two away from taking it into a third set and then the clock resets.” Benneteau, the world 39, will play a Saturday a semi-final against fifth-seeded compatriot Gilles Simon who was 3-0 ahead in the final set against Martin Klizan when the Slovak player quit with an injury. “This was a dream match, and I played like a dream,” said Benneteau after his second career win over the world number two. This is for sure my biggest win. He was the favourite, but maybe he played a bit tight. I’ve been playing well all week, improving with each match. I’ve had a great week here so far and I hope it’s not finished.” Federer was clearly off the boil from the start, beginning with an ace but losing the first game. He was broken three times in the first set in a shocking display from the top seed and heavy crowd favourite at the AFP Ahoy stadium.

Serena is oldest World No.1 DOHA: Serena Williams was in tears on Friday after snatching an historic win at the Qatar Open which ensured that she became the oldest woman to hold the WTA Tour’s world number one ranking. Her 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Petra Kvitova in the quarters put her back on top after an interval of two and a half years during which she sometimes thought she might never play again. Williams had been 1-4 down in the final set, and her relieved smile, heavenward gesture and tears gave lie to her earlier statement that the number one position no longer mattered. “I am so sensitive nowadays — I am always crying, but I never thought I would be here again you know,” said Williams in a reference to the pulmonary embolism from which she suffered in 2011, threatening her life and career.

Nadal advances, in semis SAO PAULO: Rafael Nadal advanced to the semifinals of the Brazil Open here late Friday, with a difficult three-set win over Argentine Carlos Berlocq. The 26-year-old Spaniard, ranked number five in the world, won his singles quarterfinal match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 24 minutes against the 30-year old Argentine, ranked 78th in the world. Nadal will face off in Saturday’s semifinal against another Argentine, Martin Alund, who earlier Friday defeated Filippo Volandri of Italy 7-5, 7-6. In another quarter-final earlier Friday, Argentine David Nalbandian beat Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the winner of the Brazil Open last year. Nalbandian will contest Saturday’s other semifinal against Italian Simone Bolelli who ousted Argentine Juan Monaco. Berlocq dominated the first set, breaking Nadal’s serve twice before prevailing 63, and serving several aces during the match. But the Spaniard, who enjoyed the raucous support of the crowd at Sao Paulo’s Ibirapuera gymnasium, later said he never thought of losing the contest. He added: “I was able to be solid with

Rafael Nadal plays against Argentine Carlos Berlocq during the Brazil Open in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday. AFP/YASUYOSHI CHIBA my serves and take advantage of the fact that he (Berlocq) did not return well” in the third set. Nadal, who is recovering from a knee injury, at times appeared a bit tentative but used powerful serves and brilliant drop shots to tame his opponent. “For me every victory is important. It is

Isner, Haas book San Jose date SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: US second seed John Isner and German fourth seed Tommy Haas advanced to a semi-final matchup at the $547,000 ATP SAP Open on Friday with straight-set triumphs. Isner, ranked 16th, fired 10 aces, the last of them on the penultimate point, in defeating Belgian eighth seed Xavier Malisse 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 in a match that lasted just 68 minutes. World No. 22 Haas, who ousted US wild card Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-2, has lost three

of four career meetings to Isner, who at 27 is seven years younger than Haas. Haas was last year’s ATP comeback player of the year after an injury-nagged 2011. But they have not faced each other since a second-round match at Cincinnati in 2009. In later quarter-finals, Canadian top seed Milos Raonic will face Uzbek sixth seed Denis Istomin and US third seed Sam Querrey will play Colombia’s Alejandro AFP Falla.

the moment to have the necessary humility to fight in every match as I did today,” he said. “It’s the first match I win in three sets here. It helps me get better physically, It helps me regain my self-confidence,” Nadal added. He is the top seed in this $455,775 tournament, his second comeback event after a seven-month absence. Last week, he competed in the Vina del Mar Open in Chile, losing the singles and doubles finals Sunday. Nadal has claimed seven of his 11 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros. He won the Brazil Open in 2005, when it was held in Costa do Sauipe in eastern Bahia state. Last year, the tournament was moved to Sao Paulo. The Brazil Open is part of the Latin American clay court circuit, along with the Vina del Mar event and the Mexico Open, in Acapulco, where Nadal plans to play later this month. The three low-profile Latin American events are routinely ignored by the world’s top three players: Novak Djokovic, Roger AFP Federer and Andy Murray.

Roger backs Games squash bid

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Roger Federer will support the campaign to have squash included in the 2020 Olympics, after meeting the sport’s longtime number one Nicol David at the Rotterdam World Tennis tournament. Federer made his endorsement only a few days after the International Olympic Committee said it would remove wrestling from the Games, a decision which has met with a storm of controversy. “I started with a wooden racquet in squash,” said Federer. It’s a wonderful sport. I think squash deserves to be in the Olympics, they run a great tour with great personalities. I’d be very happy for them personally. I used to play AFP every Sunday with my dad.”

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Ajmal puts team on top

Colin Bryden

South Africa captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla were both out leg before wicket after being given not out by umpire Steve Davis. Kallis was given out caught at short leg and immediately called for a review, which showed that the ball had not touched his bat before looping off his pad to the fielder. But he was then given out leg before on the advice of television umpire Billy Bowden, although replays showed the ball was only brushing the outside of his leg stump, in the area known AFP as "umpire's call".

CAPE TOWN: Saeed Ajmal tookfive wickets as Pakistan finished on top on a controversial second day of the second Test against South Africa on Friday. South Africa were struggling at 139 for five at the close, still 199 runs behind Pakistan's first innings of 338 after Ajmal had finished with five for 41. "Pakistan are ahead of the game," admitted South African assistant coach Russell Domingo. Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore admitted that his side should never have been written off despite being mauled by 211 runs in the first Test in Johannesburg. "It's a totally different game in totally different conditions," he said "The home team were not under much pressure at all in Johannesburg. Here they are confronted with a total of 300plus on a wicket which is totally

Brief Scores Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal celebrates the dismissal of South Africa’s Alviro Petersen during the 2nd Test between South Africa and Pakistan , in Cape Town at Newlands on Friday. AFP/ALEXANDER JOE different. We are very pleased with the way this match is going so far." Three of Ajmal's wickets came after the use of the deci-

sion review system, including a controversial dismissal of star South African batsman Jacques Kallis.

Camp to begin today BANGALORE: The 15-member Indian squad, which landed in the city in batches along with the support staff, will start their three-day training camp from today at National Cricket Academy ahead of the first Test against Australia at Chennai, starting on February 22. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and co. will leave for Chennai on February 19. India coach Duncan Fletcher-led support staff has engineered a plot for harnessing the services of outof-the-system 15 young and unknown raw talents to bowl to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, over the

India squad: MS Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay.

next three days. These raw talents, comprising of nine pacers and six spinners, have been picked from open trials at various cities before being sent to regional academies in Mumbai, Chennai and Mohali to whet their skills. The programme is a brainchild of former NCA Director of Operations and the current chief selector Sandeep Patil. These ‘net bowlers’ will take off weight from the Indian bowlers during the camp ahead of a challenging series against the Australia. PTI

Pakistan (first innings) 338 (Younis Khan 111, Asad Shafiq 111, Philander 5/59) vs South Africa (first innings) 139/5 (H. Amla 25, F. du Plessis 28, A. de Villiers 24 n.o., Saeed Ajmal 5/41)

Kallis dismissal wrong, say Test officials

CAPE TOWN: The playing control team in charge of the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan admitted on Friday that a mistake had been made when star home batsman Jacques Kallis was given out. Kallis was given out caught at short leg off spinner Saeed Ajmal by umpire Steve Davis but the batsman immediately sought a review, which went to television umpire Billy Bowden. Replays showed the ball had not touched Kallis' bat before looping to Azhar Ali. AFP

PCB hopes India play Pak in August KARACHI: The PCB is pinning its hopes on the BCCI agreeing on play Pakistan, at least at a neutral venue, in August this year in order to boost its financial position. “In the future tours program India is supposed to tour Pakistan in August. We are hoping that even if they don’t tour (the country) for security reasons, they should at least play us at a neutral venue because we badly need revenues from this ‘home’ series,” a source

said. He pointed out that when former Chairman Ijaz Butt left in 2011 there was about 4.2 billion rupees in the PCB coffers. “This was mainly due to an amount of USD 15 million that we received as our hosting and compensation fees from the ICC for the 2011 World Cup,” the source said. He, however added that since then while expenses of the PCB had increased, revenues had dried up particularly since international teams stopped touring Pakistan. PTI

Chelsea stars must take blame: Ivanovic Mancini wary of Cup giantkillers Leeds MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has insisted his multi-million pound side will not underestimate giantkillers Leeds in their FA Cup fifth round tie at Eastlands on Sunday. Mancini’s side are effectively out of the Premier League title race, with the defending champions trailing cross-town rivals and leaders Manchester United by 12 points with 12 games remaining, and were knocked out of the Champions League in the group phase. AFP

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of the campaign is a worrying trend which must be addressed. “We go up and down this season,” he said. “We have to look at ourselves and our performance. We have had a lot of games. We have played every three days for the last four months. This has made it difficult. Sometimes you’re not recovered and don’t have a big enough squad.”

CHAD LIBYA EGYPT TUNISIA

Suduko

Branislav Ivanovic (below) admits his side have only themselves to blame for their spluttering form as they bid to avoid an FA Cup embarrassment in

impression that the Blues are painfully out of sorts. Fernando Torres took the brunt of the criticism after missing two golden chances to open the scoring but, while the Spanish striker can have few complaints after scoring one goal in his last 13 appearances, he isn’t the only one to look short of motivation and inspiration in recent weeks. With League One minnows Brentford desperate to inflict more misery on their west London neighbours, Chelsea can’t afford to underestimate a team that came close to a shock win in the 2-2 draw at Griffin Park last month. Serbia international Ivanovic acknowledges that Chelsea’s lack of consistency over the course

Number game

LONDON: Chelsea’s

Sunday’s fourth round replay against Brentford. Rafael Benitez’s team were below their best again in an unconvincing 1-0 win at Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday and the lacklustre display only added to the

Scrabble

Steve Griffiths